Iran International
Iran’s political establishment has largely rallied behind the decision by the Supreme National Security Council to accept a two-week ceasefire mediated by Pakistan, while critics warn the pause in fighting could harm prospects for political change.
President Massoud Pezeshkian described the truce as “the fruit of the blood of the martyred great leader Khamenei and the achievement of the presence of all people on the scene,” referring to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed earlier in the conflict.
Several lawmakers framed the development as a strategic success. Ebrahim Azizi, head of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the ceasefire reflected the “victory of the Islamic Republic” and the “surrender of the enemy.”
Skepticism toward the United States also remains strong among lawmakers.
Malek Shariati warned that Washington is “untrustworthy,” noting that despite accepting Iran’s 10-point proposal as a basis for talks, “given the record of US bad faith, we are highly pessimistic about the outcome of peace negotiations.”
Fazlollah Ranjbar said Iran should not trust the United States unless it fully accepts Iran’s conditions and pays compensation. However, he added that he supports the ceasefire because it was approved by the Supreme National Security Council and endorsed by Iran’s leadership.
‘Exhaustive war’
Meanwhile, the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council urged media and activists to avoid “any divisive remarks, spreading doubt or despair regarding the system’s high-level decisions, and giving a pass to enemy media narratives.”
Reformist figures have broadly welcomed the ceasefire while calling for domestic political change.
Esmail Gerami-Moghaddam, vice-chair of the Etemad-e Melli Party, said all branches of government and society should unite behind the decision. He criticized opposition groups for “appropriating” past protests and accused them of contributing to the outbreak of war.
Prominent commentator Ahmad Zeidabadi wrote: “Whatever negative judgments we may have about the officials of the Islamic Republic… it cannot be denied that in this exhausting war they acted boldly, fearlessly, and effectively.”
Praising diplomatic efforts, he added: “Without a doubt, this is a brilliant political victory for Iran,” predicting that opportunities for reform could expand while “the method of regime change will fade into the background.”
Podcaster Pouria Bakhtiari wrote sarcastically: “For God’s sake, now that you’ve made a ceasefire and negotiated with a 47-year enemy, try once to make a ceasefire and negotiate with your own people.”
‘Regime change’
Many opposition figures argue the ceasefire undermines momentum for political change and could embolden repression.
Saeed Ghasseminejad, an adviser to Prince Reza Pahlavi, criticized the truce, writing: “Regime change is still the best outcome for the US, Israel, and the Iranian people.”
Some social media users echoed that view. One wrote in Persian: “This level of happiness over a two-week ceasefire is not about saving lives or infrastructure—it is about hope for the survival of the clerical regime or the defeat of the Lion and Sun revolution.”
Others warned of possible consequences during the ceasefire period. One user argued that if executions continue, responsibility would lie with those who opposed the war and called for its end to protect infrastructure.
Tehran’s unveiling of a towering statue depicting the Roman Emperor Valerian kneeling before pre-Islamic Persian King Shapur I has renewed criticism of the Islamic Republic’s appeal to nationalist sentiment following the June war with Israel.
For over forty years, the theocracy purged ancient Persian history from schoolbooks, replacing it with post-Islamic narratives. But after the 12-day conflict with Israel, officials have turned to the distant pre-Islamic past to rally a divided society.
From murals of ancient kings and soldiers to patriotic songs added to Shi’ite mourning ceremonies performed before Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Tehran now embraces imagery once deemed heretical by its own revolutionary ethos.
'Kneel before Iran' campaign
Tehran’s Revolution (Enghelab) Square was the scene of an unusual spectacle on Friday as officials unveiled a massive bronze statue depicting Roman Emperor Valerian kneeling in submission before Sassanid King Shapur I, commemorating Iran’s victory at the Battle of Edessa (260 AD).
The event was held under the slogan “Kneel before Iran,” part of what authorities describe as a campaign to project “national unity and historical pride” following the June war with Israel.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, a staunch ultraconservative, said on X: “Enmity with Great Iran can only end in kneeling before this historic nation.”
Municipal official Davood Goodarzi said the installation would be accompanied by visual displays depicting “other victories of Iranians over foreign aggressors,” including the defeat of British forces by local commander Rais-Ali Delvari, Mirza Kuchak Khan’s resistance against Russian troops, and Surena’s triumph over Rome at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE.
The goal, Goodarzi said, is “strengthening concepts such as national dignity, social unity, and Iranian identity.”
The statue, he said, would remain temporarily at Revolution Square before being moved to a city gateway “where it will stand as the first emblem of Iran before diplomats and foreign visitors.”
Unveiled women were allowed to attend the unveiling ceremony—an uncommon scene at events organized by Tehran’s ultra-hardline municipality.
The turn to the pre-Islamic past
The sharp reversal also recalls remarks once made by Khamenei. In a 2011 speech, he asserted that “all the great military victories of this nation came after Islam,” dismissing pre-Islamic accounts as “things that are not documented.”
In 1987, he had said that prophets triumphed over kings such as Cyrus and that “nothing remains of these monarchs in history but names remembered with derision.”
Nevertheless, pro-government social media accounts have now gone so far as to circulate posters equating Khamenei himself with Shapur, showing him standing with a staff as Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump kneel before him. The caption reads: “You will kneel before Iran.”
'Hypocrisy'
Pro-government figures have hailed the move as a patriotic success. Conservative political reporter Hossein Saremi posted: “Today’s grand Iranian gathering showed that people and the state share one essence: Iran itself. Nothing can take our homeland away.”
Others, however, called the spectacle “hypocrisy.” Journalist Gholamhossein Pashaei wrote on X: “Every year you close Pasargadae to stop people from celebrating Cyrus Day, yet you unveil Shapur’s statue in Enghelab Square with drums and fireworks during Fatimiyya (mourning period)!”
Dissident commentator Hamid Asafi called the ceremony “a perfect snapshot of the Islamic Republic’s contradictions.”
On Telegram he wrote: “A week ago they closed Cyrus’s tomb out of fear of the crowds, and now they glorify Shapur in the same breath. The Islamic Republic fears living history but poses for selfies with its corpse.”
He added: “They know people no longer respond to rosaries and sermons. That’s why they’ve brought history back to the stage—in a controlled costume. If they can’t erase the past, they’ll try to own it.”
The irony deepened as UNESCO formally recognized Cyrus’s Charter as one of the earliest human-rights documents.
President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X: “Iran, the cradle of dialogue, justice, and coexistence, can still inspire peace today.”
Users swiftly replied, questioning how such pride could coexist with a government that blocks access to Cyrus’s tomb each year to those wishing to visit it on his birthday.